Key and Lock
by XoXKeii-chanXoX
Summary: Mai has been away from SPR for 2 years. When she decides to come back after reading an article in the paper about SPR planning to close down, she promised to stay. But, she keeps hearing this strange song being sung in her head. What could it be? Enjoy!
1. Reuniting With an Old Friend

_**Hey, Y'all! I'll get straight to the point ('cause I'm too lazy to write out an elongated and boring Author's Note). I got tired of trying to come up with a storyline for my last fanfic and decided to make a new one. So without further adeu, here is "Key and Lock." Enjoy! ^_^**_

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><p>"<em>Take a key and lock her up,<br>__Lock her up,  
><em>_Lock her up.  
><em>_Take a key and lock her up,  
><em>_My fair lady…"_

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><p>The soft melody echoed through my mind as I sat up in bed. Sure, the melody was a bit creepy. But, going to bed and waking up to it for almost two years now, I've gotten used to it. I reached over to my nightstand drawer and pulled out a small notebook. I made a note of the song and got up to get dressed. I've resorted to recording my sleepless nights in this notebook. Once I figure things out with what the song means, these notes should come in handy.<p>

I dressed myself in a pair of skinny jeans, a simple black polo, a loose, dark purple tie, and my one-star converse sneakers. My hair, which was down past my back, I pulled back in a high pony-tail. I looked at myself in the mirror over my dresser. It's true, I didn't look much like myself anymore. Ever since I left SPR, I've changed a bit. However, even though my appearance had changed, my long for my old job was always picking at my brain. However, something was holding me back.

I was snapped out of my thoughts when there was a knock at the door. I quickly glanced at the mirror one more time before running to greet my visitor.

I opened the door and was greeted by my new friend, Yumiko.

"Yumi-san!" I exclaimed. "How are you?" After I left SPR, I went into hiding. I couldn't let any of the others find me and try and beg me to come back. I went one direction and just kept going. About 5 hours away from my old home, I found a small apartment here in this little town. Yumiko was the first person I met, and the only one who understood my predicament. She helped me from time to time with finding a job here and paying some of my rent. She was a great friend.

She smiled at me before handing me a small newspaper clipping. "I think you should see this."

I took the clipping in hand and read the article. I gasped at what I read;

"Shibuya Psychic Research, or SPR, closing after two years of struggling with countless cases; so many, that the staff is quitting left and right. Facility to close in two weeks." I read everything out loud.

"That was in the paper this morning," Yumiko had said. She looked at me hopefully.

I sighed before asking, "You want me to go back, don't you…?"

She smiled sadly. "Mai, I know you miss working there. Now, you can go and set things right. I'm sure with your help, the rest of your friends will want to come back to work, and you can build the place back up!"

I thought about it for a while. "You're right. I'll leave right now." I ran back to my room and started packing a small duffle bag, prepared for the long trip.

I came back to find Yumiko waiting by the door. She smiled at me before leading me to her car out front.

"Ready?" she asked after we had gotten in the car and were about to set off. I nodded slowly, left to my thoughts as to what the others will think of me when they see me.

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><p>The ride took a good 5 hours. I had fallen asleep within the first two…<p>

"We're here, Mai," Yumiko stated. I looked out the car window up at my former workplace. I sighed heavily before grabbing my bag, thanking Yumiko, and starting up the stairs.

I got to the door and paused. _"Was this such a good idea?" _I thought. "No turning back now, I guess…" I thought out loud.

I slowly reached for the door handle and opened the door.

At first, I was hit with so much nostalgia. I never realized how much I've missed this place until now. I happened to glance over at my old desk. It hadn't been touched since I left. I walked over to it and sat down in the chair. There was a thick coating of dust on the, now, never-used desk. I sighed heavily, making some of the dust circulate into the air.

"Man, I miss this place…" I said quietly.

Everything was so quiet, I thought Naru had pulled out already.

"Mai?" I heard someone say. I knew who it was right away. I looked over to see Naru staring at me, clearly shocked at who had just entered his facility. I quickly jumped up out of the chair as if it suddenly burned my skin. "What are you doing here…?" He sounded confused…and somewhat angry.

I stared down at my feet before answering, "I-I saw an article in the paper. I thought I could help." I looked up after stating this, and he looked absolutely _livid_. Even for Naru, the look he was giving me was truly terrifying.

"You disappear for 2 years, and you come back when I'm about to _go out of business?_" He was almost yelling, but regained his composure after he noticed me cringe at the sudden outburst. However, my gaze never left his face. I wanted him to know I was serious about coming back."I know what I did hurt you all. I really don't know why I did it. But, I came back, hoping to be able to set things right," I said. "Did everybody really quit?"

"Yes. They didn't understand why you would just quit out of the blue like you did. Their emotions got the better of them; especially on cases. They weren't much help," he replied. "Did you ever think about coming back?"

"A lot, yes," I replied. "But, something was holding me back. I wanted to come back, but there was a force keeping me home. I couldn't understand it." I had lowered my head once more.

I waited for a long while. I knew Naru was deciding whether to let me stay, or kick me out. Then I heard a heavy sigh.

"Mai, call everyone and bring them here. We need to have a work meeting," Naru said. I lightened up. "Oh, and make me tea."

I smiled brightly and jumped up and down a few times. "Yes, Sir!" I practically shouted. I went to the small kitchenette to make said tea. The kettle whistled and I poured the tea into three cups. I delivered Naru's tea, set mine on my desk, and ran back to take a cup to Naru's _proper _assistant, Lin. I knocked lightly on the door before opening it slowly, as to not disturb him.

"Um…Hi, Lin. Would you like some tea?" I asked sheepishly. He seemed surprised to hear my voice and turned around in his chair immediately. He smiled lightly at me and gladly accepted the cup of tea.

"Thank you, Mai," he said. "It's great to have you back."

I smiled widely at him before turning to leave. I waved at him as I left and bounced back to my desk to make the alleged phone calls to everyone. Now, let's just hope that everyone else takes the suddenness of my arrival as well as these two did…

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><p>"MAI!" I was practically smothered to death by the only person who could do such a thing; Monk. He was both happy and relieved to see me.<p>

"M-Monk…Can't…BREATH…" I choked out. He was dragged away by an annoyed Ayako who instantly took his spot, taking extra care not to choke me to death, who then hit me over the head with her purse.

"OW!" I yelped. I now knew how Monk felt, who almost doubled over in laughter.

"_That's _for disappearing like you did!" Ayako retorted. "Where on earth did you run off to?"

I smiled sheepishly. "About 5 hours that way…" I pointed in a random direction, receiving some glares and awkward stares from everybody.

John had given me a soft hug after that, and even Masako was happy to see me. When everything calmed down and I had made more tea for everyone, both Naru and Lin emerged from their offices and took their seats in the sitting room. We all kept quiet before Naru spoke up.

"I'm sure you're all aware of why I summoned you here. Mai has agreed to join back up with SPR. That obviously means that we will not be closing," he said. "If you all decide to join again as well, we will see to it that none of this had happened."

"How could we say no?" Monk said."Of course, we're all in." Ayako chimed in.

Masako and John both nodded their heads. We all glanced back at Naru who nodded his head and turned to me.

"Welcome back, Mai," he said. I smiled at him widely.

Everyone restorted back to talking about this and that, where everyone's been, what they've been doing.

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><p>"<em>Take a key and lock her up,<br>Lock her up,  
>Lock her up.<br>__Take a key and lock her up,  
><em>_My fair lady…" _A voice sang.

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><p>I gasped quietly. Thankfully, everyone else was back to their usual chit-chat and didn't hear it…except for one person.<p>

"What's wrong?" Lin asked. He was sitting in the chair diagonal from my small seat. He looked at me, slightly concerned. I turned back to him and shook my head frantically.

"N-Nothing," I said. "I thought I heard something, that's all." I smiled reassuringly at him. He didn't looked convinced, but pressed the matter no further.

I know what I heard. Did I get in over my head with this?

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><p><em><strong>Well, there ya go! I'm very happy with where this is going! I think I'm gonna have an easier time writing this one. I know it's pretty short for the first chapter, and things kinda went a little quickly, but I wanted to get the reuniting done and over with. Hope you enjoyed the first chapter!<strong>_

_**Mai: Weird…Wonder what that voice could be... **_

_**Chii: You'll just have to wait and find out!**_

_**Mai: Yeah, yeah…Oh! By the way! Rate, Review, Comment, and Criticize!**_

_**Chii: Ciao, y'all! ^_^**_


	2. A New Case

_**Hey everyone! Glad to have gotten some reviews on the last chapter! Keep up the reading! Hope you enjoy the next chapter!**_

_**Mai: Chii, do you own Ghost Hunt?**_

_**Chii: Why, no, Mai. I do not. Nor the characters. Just this amazing plot and any OC's I happen to strategically place in this FanFiction. **_

_**Mai: Oh, ok then! On to the story!**_

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><p>Over the course of the next week, the gang helped me back into a new apartment. I had decided to pay them back later for any elaborate pieces of furniture they happened to sneak into my apartment. Once I was settled in my new home, we all decided to go out to eat before heading back to the office.<p>

Monk had refused to let me pay my share, even after a good half hour of arguing.

"Mai, this is our treat," Monk stated. "We want you to know how much we appreciate you coming back. You were what held this team together, and always will be!" He smiled warmly at me before leading everyone into what looked like a relatively expensive restaurant.

We all sat down together, Monk next to Ayako, John and Masako across from them, and I at the end of the table. When our food came, I was overwhelmed by the amount. Since Monk was treating me, he had also ordered for me as well. I sighed a bit before diving in.

While we were eating, we reminisced about old times. The gang was surprised at how much I've changed. Then, I noticed someone missing from this equation.

"So, did Yasu finish college yet?" I asked. They all smirked.

"He got his degree two years early! Can you believe that?" Monk marveled. My eyes widened upon hearing this. I haven't thought about school for at least 2 years.

"Seriously?" I asked. Everyone nodded.

"Did you attend college at all, Mai?" Ayako asked. I paused in the middle of taking a bite of my food and stared down at my plate.

"Unfortunately, I haven't had much time to think about schooling," I said. "I was too busy trying to just get along." Everyone frowned at this.

"Mai," Monk started. I cut him off.

"It's alright, Monk," I said with a bright smile. "It never happened, remember?" His frown disappeared at that remark.

"You're right," he said with a smile. "It never happened."

We continued our food for a while before leaving to go back to the office. On our way back, we talked about what we've all been doing for the past two years.

John now owned his own church and continues taking care of orphaned children from all over the world. He still exorcises spirits for time to time as well.

Masako's career had taken wonderful flight. She's more famous than ever. And even scored with Naru; something I knew I wouldn't _dare _try to accomplish. I loved Naru, truly, but as a sister to a brother. What I felt for him before was no more than that.

What surprised me the most is that Monk and Ayako finally got married and were happily living together. They had stopped exorcising spirits afterward and gotten _real _jobs, Monk with his band as a full-time career, and Ayako working in the hospital her parents owned.

I was happy for everyone. They were all leading great lives…and then there was me. The one to cause all this trouble. I was glad to be back in the swing of things again.

My phone started vibrating obnoxiously in my pocket so I quickly pulled it out.

"Hello?" I said.

"Mai," the other voice said. "Naru wants you all back at the office. There was a client that visited today and he wants to take their case." It was Lin.

"Oh, sure. We'll be there right away," I said. "See ya in a few!" I finished all bubbly. I could have sworn I heard a slight chuckle, but he hung up too soon for me to figure it out.

"Who was that?" Monk asked.

"Lin," I replied. "Naru wants us to take a case."

"It must be pretty important for him to want us right away," Ayako stated. "We should hurry up and get back." We all nodded in agreement and quickened our pace to get back as quickly as possible.

"_Hmm…hm hm hm…Hmm hmm hmm…"_

I suddenly heard a soft humming. It was the same tune as before, but so quiet, I thought I might've just imagined it.

"Um, did you guys hear anything just now?" I ended up asking out loud. Everyone just looked at each other with puzzled looks and eventually all shook their heads 'no.'

I just continued walking, shaking off the feeling that we weren't the only ones walking around. I hadn't realized it before, but it got a lot darker strangely quicker after our small conversation, and we all wanted to get back to the office as quickly as possible.

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><p>"So, this woman has heard strange humming, knocking sounds, seen apparitions, and other strange events have happened. This sounds like your normal story just to get attention," Monk stated. "What possessed you to take this case?"<p>

"Since we're a little slow at this point," Naru started, glancing at me. I turned my attention to another object in the room to hide my reddening face. "We need all the cases we can take to get us back up to speed. We leave first thing tomorrow. Oh, and Mai," he said. I just looked sheepishly at him. "Don't be late."

I smiled sheepishly before saying quietly, "Yes, sir…"

We spent a little time at the office discussing any more minor details of the case. I had made a fresh kettle of tea for everyone and was steadily nodding off. I struggled to stay awake.

Suddenly, before I realized it, I had dozed off. I woke up only about a half an hour later. My eyes fluttered open slightly. It looked as if everybody left. I sat up straight, stretched out my joints, and observed my surroundings more.

"Did you sleep well?" I heard a soft voice say. I jumped slightly at the sound of it, and noticed that I had fallen asleep on Lin's shoulder. I jumped up off the couch at the thought and went completely red. He chuckled slightly.

"It's alright. Everyone else went home. You should do the same," he suggested. "You need to sleep to be able to wake in the morning for the case."

My face cooled down a bit, relieved that he didn't find it awkward at all and understood. I quickly gathered my things up. By the time I was finished packing my things, Lin was already waiting by the door. I rushed over to the door as he held it open for me. I walked out and allowed him to lock up before heading down the steps. It had gotten especially darker.

"Will you be alright to walk home by yourself?" I heard him ask. I was a little shocked that he asked, but thought nothing of it when I nodded my head.

"It's alright. The guys made sure to get me an apartment that wasn't far at all from the office," I replied. "See you tomorrow!" I quickly ran off, waving behind me.

I got home, and threw on an over-sized t-shirt and climbed in bed, ready to record what tonight's dream would bring in store.

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><p>I woke up the next morning, expecting to hear that annoying tune once again, but heard nothing. I smiled as I sat up in bed and glanced at my clock. I was even happier when I realized I had an hour to get ready this morning. I might even head to work early to surprise Naru.<p>

I got out of bed and got dressed. I had dressed myself in a simple white, form-fitting t-shirt, a pair of skinny jeans once again, my black combat boots, and my lime green straight-brim cap. My hair I had in a loose pony-tail, leaving my fringe out in front. I grabbed my shoulder bag that I had bought a few days ago, since my duffle bag was getting kind of worn, and packed it with a few spare changes of clothes before happily running out of my apartment to get to work early.

And, I did get to work quite early. By almost twenty minutes early. Of course, being the work-a-holic that he is, Naru was already there with Lin. However, I was pleased when they were both surprised at the fact I was there much earlier than I would have been if I had been working there these past 2 years.

"So, when do we pull out?" I asked, a bit of smartness in my voice.

"Well, since you're so eager to get to work, why don't you get to work on making some tea while we wait for the others," he ordered.

I gaped at him. "We're not even going inside! We're leaving right when the others get here, right?" I said. But Naru had already started up the stairs. "Stupid, idiot scientist…" I mumbled. I resorted to calling him the nickname that his deceased brother had given him. I trudged up the stairs, Lin following close behind, and went into the office to prepare the alleged tea I was so "fond" of making.

After about twenty minutes went by, Monk and Ayako had shown up. John and Masako were planning on coming tomorrow in case we didn't need their assistance. We packed up the required equipment and loaded ourselves into the vehicles for the trip.

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><p>The trip took almost 3 hours. I was getting extremely bored. I didn't know how I survived my drive back to work. I sighed once again, for the millionth time it felt like.<p>

"Mai," Naru started. "If you keep sighing like that, you'll use up all the oxygen in the vehicle." I heard Monk stifle a laugh, who in turn had to swerve to gain control of the vehicle once more.

I glared at the back of Naru's head (I hated sitting in the back for this reason) before going silent once more.

"Looks like we're almost there," Monk stated. He turned onto a dirt road and continued down it. It came to an opening in a wood-like area and turned into a small forest trail.

"Wow…what a secluded area," I mused out loud. It seemed like the road went on forever, until we finally came upon a mansion-like building. Monk pulled the car over and we all got out, our eyes never leaving the mansion.

"This place is _huge_," I thought out loud. "I wouldn't know where to begin!"

"Hey there!" we heard two voices call. We all looked over and were surprised at what we saw. Two girls, obviously twins, came running up to us. "You must all be with Shibuya's group, right?" the one said. "We're here to greet you since Mom's not home yet." the other continued.

"Yeah, that's right," I said. "And, you two are…?" The two twin teens smiled and said,

"I'm Hikari."

"And, I'm Kaori."

They both had short, messy hair, and were both in _almost _the same outfits. They were different colors, but both of them wore a simple t-shirt, a jacket, baggy jeans and boots. They looked like opposites, though. The one was wearing a white T-shirt with a black jacket, and the other was wearing a black t-shirt with a white jacket.

"So, you want a tour of the house, or what?" the two twins asked with a bit of a devilish grin. I smirked at them both. I like these two. We all followed them into the house.

"Can you two explain any recent events that might've happened?" Naru asked. The two of them just looked at each other and frowned.

"Well…" Hikari started. "We would be in bed at night, and hear this weird sound. Like someone humming."

"We only hear it for a brief moment, and then it's gone." Kaori finished. I tensed up upon hearing this.

"We also have seen sayings written on our walls," Hikari continued.

"It always says the same thing, though." Kaori added.

"What exactly do the messages say?" I asked. I had to know.

"Oh," Hikari sounded. She reached in her pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. "I have it written down."

She handed the piece of paper to me and I read it. I completely froze when I read it. I had to read it over and over again for it to become clear what the message had said.

"Mai? MAI!" I heard Monk exclaim. He had positioned himself in front of my by this time and was now softly shaking my shoulders to get me back to reality.

I dropped the paper in front of me, fear never leaving my face, and ran straight back out the door. I kept running, never stopping. I had to think about things for a moment.

I ran straight into the forest, ignoring the calls behind me of my friends trying to get me to stop, and found a tree and climbed straight up it. I climbed the highest I could and sat on a sturdy branch, curling up in a ball to think.

"What's going on…?" I said. "What does this mean?" I sobbed quietly as I thought over and over about the message.

_"Take a key and lock her up…  
>Lock her up,<br>Lock her up…."_

The song played over and over again in my mind.

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><p><em><strong>Good start to the case, right? I think so. But it's not my place to judge it. It's up to you readers. Hope you enjoyed it!<strong>_

_**Mai: What's going on with that song?**_

_**Chii: You'll find out soon enough.**_

_**Mai: Fine… Rate, Review, Comment, and Criticize!**_

_**Chii: See you next chapter! Ciao! ^_^**_


	3. Recovery

_**Hey guys! Great reviews so far! Hope to see more! Here's the next chapter, Enjoy!**_

_**Mai: Chii doesn't own Ghost Hunt or us characters. Just this AMAZING plot!**_

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><p>I don't know how long it was since I had fallen asleep in the tree, but the time wasn't my concern. The temperature had dropped significantly. Even though it was dark, I could see my breath forming in the air every time I exhaled.<p>

"_They're all probably worried sick," _I thought. _"Knowing Monk, he's probably pacing back and forth in base right now, Ayako doing no better than him." _I smirked at the thought and positioned myself to climb back down the tree. Then, just as I had my grip around the trunk of the tree, my grip slipped, and I came crashing down on numerous branches, catching myself on one of them about midway up the tree. I hung there for a moment, hyperventilating by this point.

"Help…!" I called out weakly. My voice was so weak from the cold. The grip on my left hand slipped, and I was dangling by my one hand from a height that could potentially injure me. I could feel my grip slipping once again.

"No, please!" I begged. "Just a little longer," I knew it was no use, though. My hand slipped and I fell, hitting more branches on the way down, bracing myself for impact.

"_Ahh~~~~!" _I screamed as my leg hit the ground awkwardly, and a sharp pain was sent up through my leg. However, I hadn't noticed it at the time, I didn't hit the ground directly.

I laid there on the ground, clutching onto my injured leg. Suddenly, I felt a pair of arms lift me off the ground and rush me back to the mansion. I couldn't see who it was, though. I was too focused on the agonizing pain running through my leg. I cried out once more when I felt my leg spasm a bit. The arms around me tightened and our pace quickened.

Before I knew it, I was laying on a couch, my leg throbbing. For the first time this entire night, raw tears poured from my eyes. I couldn't make a sound, however. I laid there silently sobbing. I was staring at the ceiling, my eyes blurred with tears, when a figure sat on the edge of the couch next to me. They wiped the tears from my face.

"How do you manage to always get yourself in the most awkward and dangerous situations, Mai?" I heard the person say. I wiped the remaining tears from my eyes and saw who had rescued me.

"Hey, Lin," I said weakly. "Sorry I'm such a burden all the time." He frowned at me.

"You're not a burden, Mai," he said. "But I must ask: Why did you run off like you did?" I shuddered and turned my head so I was facing the back of the couch.

"I…" I started. "The message that was written on that paper…is something I am _very _familiar with," I said.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"I've been hearing singing every night for the past two years," I replied, terror flowing from my voice. "The message…was the song that was being sung to me every night when I went to bed and every morning when I woke up." My voice was shaking, tears threatening to spill from my eyes once more. I turned to look at Lin who was now gaping at me.

"Mai," he started. "Why didn't you say anything?" he asked. He was starting to sound angry.

I sat up quickly and looked at him straight in the eyes.

"Because I was scared!" I practically yelled. He was a bit taken back by my sudden outburst, but said nothing. "I was afraid of what might happen if I did."

"But, why would you be afraid of what might've happened? We could've taken care of it for you," Lin replied.

"The reason I left those two years ago was because one night I started hearing this singing while I was getting ready for bed. I didn't think much of it the first couple of nights, since I thought it was just my imagination. But, after a while, it started to concern me. When it started happening more frequently, I panicked and left. Ever since, I've been too afraid to return! I was afraid…" I trailed off. Lin frowned as I lay back down and stared at the ceiling.

"I'm sorry, Mai," he said. I shook my head.

"No, I'm sorry. I caused everyone so much pain and worried you all, just because I was scared. I was always the weak one and always will be." I replied. He frowned even more upon hearing this.

Then, the song once again started up again very quietly over and over.

I covered my ears to try and block out the sound.

"Please!" I begged. "Please, stop!" I shook my head furiously.

The singing got louder and was starting to hurt my head.

"I can't…I can't take it anymore!" I cried out. Suddenly, I felt a warm hand on my forehead. The singing started to subside and I finally uncovered my ears. Lin's hand remained on my forehead. I looked up at him. He was smiling softly at me, which in turn caused me to smile weakly.

"You should get some sleep," he suggested.

"Will you…" I could feel my face heat up slightly for asking what I was about to ask. "Will you stay with me until I fall back to sleep?" He smiled.

"I'm not going anywhere," he replied. He got more comfortable on the edge of the couch next to me as I lay there trying to fall asleep.

It didn't take long. After a while, I was happily sleeping the night away; the pain in my leg almost unnoticeable.

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><p>I was greeted by the far-off light of the sunset when I woke up the next morning. I sat up slowly and looked around. I saw Lin in his usual spot, typing away on his laptop. I smiled at him.<p>

"Hey. You're already working?" I asked, a smirk forming on my lips. He turned around and smiled back at me.

"Well, with what you told me last night, I had to record it down for future reference," he replied. I laughed a bit at that remark.

"Isn't anyone else up yet?" I asked.

"Well, it is only about five in the morning," he retorted.

"Oh…" I sounded. I looked down at my leg. The pants leg was pulled up slightly and there was a washrag over what looked like a pretty badly swollen ankle. "Is it broken?" I asked. He turned back around to look at me before getting up and walking over.

"I don't think so. Probably just a minor sprain. I don't suggest walking on it for a while, though," he suggested. I nodded as he took the rag and dipped it on a bucket of water and laying it on my leg once more. He stood back up, grabbed a chair, and brought it over to the couch. When he sat down, he looked at me with concern. I smiled up at him.

"Don't worry. I'll be fine…I think," I finished the last part a little sheepishly. I heard him chuckle a bit at that remark.

We sat for a while, just talking about different topics. A lot of silences happened in between topics. After a while, I let Lin go back to work.

About another hour went by until it was about 6:30. Naru had arrived around 6 and I had to explain everything to him. He wasn't very happy that I hid this from everyone, but was also concerned that it was continuing. Suddenly the door practically broke off the hinges when Ayako and Monk came bursting in.

"MAI!" they both sounded. Monk practically smothered me while Ayako was almost in tears of joy to see that I was alright. Again, I was greeted by a purse to the head.

"OW!" I was in pain for two reasons. From getting hit over the head, and my ankle when I flinched when I was hit. "I'm in enough pain so as it is!" I snapped. Monk had let me go by this time and was also glaring at me.

"Why did you run off like that, Mai?" he asked. I resorted to once again retelling what had transpired the previous night. They all gaped at me when I had finished.

_"Man, this is becoming a regular routine…" _I joked in my mind.

Later that morning, I tried to stand on my ankle, with the help of Ayako and Monk. I had finally gotten up on my ankle and was walking around on it, with little trouble. I was surprised to be up and walking around so easily after that injury. I decided to go make some tea for the team, Ayako coming with to make sure I didn't hurt myself anymore.

Then, the twins appeared out of nowhere.

"How are you feeling, Mai-san?" the one asked.

"Is your ankle getting any better?" the other asked. I smiled at them both.

"Yes. My ankle is feeling much better, thank you," I replied. I made a note to figure out who was who at a later date.

"That's good," they both said in unison. They walked off once more.

"Something seems a little off about those two," Ayako thought out loud. In reality, I was thinking the same thing, but kept my mouth shut.

I came back with tea for the team and we got right to work. John and Masako had arrived in the course of the morning and were already to work looking for and exorcising any spirits needed. Monk and Ayako were combing the exterior, while I stayed inside and set up equipment. The twins had explained that their room, downstairs sitting room, and the upstairs hallway in general all had the most activity. I also set a camera up in any suspicious rooms that I felt would need any surveillance.

I had returned to base, and Naru had taken Lin to the local library to do some research on the house. Since Yasu wasn't around to do any research for us, Naru and Lin had to do so. So, of course I was left back at base with nothing to do. You know what that means: I would eventually fall asleep.

And, I did. I had sat down on the couch and dozed off within a few minutes.

* * *

><p><em>I looked around me and didn't see much. Then, the usual scene of numerous spirits floating through the air played before me. I noticed a figure standing off in the distance and knew exactly who it was.<em>

"_Don't you get tired of always helping me, Gene?" I asked, a bit of sarcasm in my voice. He smiled at me._

_"Not at all. Besides, this case will help you out tremendously," he replied. I looked at him curiously._

"_What do you mean?" I asked._

"_You will find out in due time," he replied. He was giving me that smile again like he knew what was going to transpire from this case and wasn't going to tell me._

_Suddenly, a bright light flooded my vision and I was suddenly in the middle of a bedroom. There didn't seem to be anything going on, but somehow I recognized the bedroom._

_And then, without warning, the singing started up again. But, instead of the vague emptiness like usual, this time it sounded relatively close. I looked around the room, trying to find the source, but couldn't. Then, I noticed a small door in the middle of the wall. I walked over to it and put my ear up against the door. I could hear the faint sound of humming. I slowly reached for the door handle and opened the door. I caught a slight glimpse of a rotting corpse before…_

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><p>I snapped awake right away… My stomach started churning from seeing that body in that condition. I knew it had something to do with this case, but what? I didn't know…<p>

Later, when Naru and Lin returned, I told them about my dream. It wasn't much, but it could help us in the long run.

"Interesting. We'll keep that in mind when going over the final research," Naru said.

Suddenly, the lights started flickering, and eventually went out. Then, this horrible, almost cackling started up. I've never heard such a horrible, maniacal laugh in my life, and held my ears shut. Then, the laughter turned into demonic singing…and they were children singing that song. It was horrible to listen to, and I didn't want to hear it anymore!

"What the hell is that?" I heard Ayako ask.

"I don't know, but it's horrible to listen to," Monk added. I couldn't take it any longer.

"MAKE IT STOP!" I screamed. Everything went silent. Then, without warning, a force that felt like wind suddenly flew into me. I didn't know what it was, but eventually, everything went black.

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><p><em><strong>Whoo! Exciting! Why I always feel the need to injure Mai is beyond my reasoning…just makes things more dramatic. Hope you enjoyed. I stayed up extra late on a school night just to keep my every-day updating in tact. You better appreciate it!<strong>_

_**Mai: I really don't know why you insist on making my life Hell in these stories…**_

_**Chii: Because it's fun! Of course!**_

_**Mai: Of course…Rate, Review, Comment, and Criticize!**_

_**Chii: See you next chapter! Ciao! ^_^**_


	4. Cherry Blossom Tree

_**Sorry for not updating sooner and breaking my every-day-streak of updating! Weekend was hectic so as it is so I wasn't able to do much writing. But, break starts in about a day, so that should give me plenty of time to continue on with the story! Glad you're all enjoying it so far! Hope to see more reviews within the next few chapters or so! Enjoy!**_

_**Disclaimer: Obviously, I do not own Ghost Hunt or the characters.**_

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><p>I couldn't see a thing. All the lights had been cut off, all the equipment was off, and there was no movement whatsoever. I was on the floor with my hands still covering my ears. I let go of my head and started to stand up, feeling my way around.<p>

"Hello?" I said quietly.

"Mai," I heard Monk say. "Are you alright?" he asked.

"Yeah. How about everyone else?" I asked. They all confirmed with "yeah's" and "sure's" and other forms of sounds to confirm they were ok.

"Miss Matsuzaki, Monk, try and feel around for a light switch," I heard Naru say.

"Right," they both said. There was a few seconds before the lights came back on. Once the room flooded with light again, it took a while for my eyes to adjust.

"What the hell was that?" Ayako asked.

"It seems as though our spirits are finally showing themselves and are becoming angrier with what we are doing," Naru replied.

"Well, whatever it was, it's gone now," Monk said.

"Do you think there could be more than one spirit in this house?" I asked.

"It could be a possibility," Monk said. "Masako, do you sense anything?" he asked.

She shook her head.

"Nothing. Not since the singing coming from the children's spirits just earlier," she replied.

"The fact that you can't sense anything is troubling to say the least," Naru said.

While everyone else was busy trying to figure things out, I had walked over to the window. It was pitch black outside; not a soul in sight (no pun intended).

Then, I felt a slight pain on my back and cringed a bit. I thought it was just from spending the previous night on the couch, so I thought nothing of it. Then, my arm started to have a slight burning sensation. My ankle started hurting again as I tried taking a step back away from the window. Soon, my entire body was in pain. It felt as if I had just injured myself to the point where a full body cast would have been needed.

I could feel my heart practically beating out of my chest. With every pound of my heart, my eyes would blur, and then re-focus;

_Thump…_

_Thump…T_

_hump…_

I didn't know how much longer it would go on for. The sensation was horrible. Nobody else seemed to notice how I was acting because they were too busy discussing the situation. I happened to look down at my arms and noticed there were bruises and burns on them. I gasped silently at the sight and tried to figure out where they could have come from. But I had no idea.

_Thump…_

_Thump…_

_Thump…_

It started to hurt even more with every pound, I was afraid I wouldn't be able to stand up much longer. But, I tried hard not to look weak in front of everyone…especially Lin.

_Thump…_

_Thump…_

_Thu-_

Nothing…I couldn't feel my heart beat at ALL. Suddenly, I noticed something out of the corner of my eye; A man. He was smiling…and not a pleasant one at all. This one was of pure evil. I grasped onto my chest, trying to take deep breaths to get my pulse going again. Finally…

Thump!

Thump!

Thump!

My pulse was quick, but at least it was there. I dropped to my knees in relief.

"Mai?" I heard someone say. I looked up to see Lin standing over me. I hadn't heard it before, but Naru had ordered Ayako and Monk to go around the house and look for anymore spirits. And, John and Masako had already left for the library to go look for research.

Naru was looking over at me from his desk chair, stopped halfway from turning a page in his legendary black book.

"Are you ok?" Lin asked, kneeling down. He noticed my arms and legs. "Mai? What happened?" He asked frantically. Naru had gotten up upon hearing this and came over to investigate.

"I…I don't really know. When the lights went out, I felt a sensation of something flying into me," I replied. "Then, when the lights came back on, I had these bruises and burns all over my body. I swear, I have no idea where they came from."

Naru stared at me hard, before leaving the room quickly, leaving Lin and I alone to our thoughts as to what the idiot narcissist could be up to now.

"You sure you don't know what is going on, Mai?" Lin asked once more. I looked at him thoughtfully before something hit me.

"Lin…it's possible for a spirit to cause bodily damage to a person without them knowing it…right?" I asked. He looked at me knowingly and nodded. "I think I know what's going on… Back when the lights went out, and I felt that sensation of something flying into me, I think that was one of the spirits." Lin only stared at me.

"Lin," Naru said. "Bring Mai outside," he ordered.

"_Geeze! Where the heck did he come from!"_ I thought to myself.

Lin nodded in understanding and brought me outside. I didn't know why, but, I suddenly felt…angry…all of a sudden.

When we got outside, Masako and John were waiting for me. I stared at them hard, knowing fully well what Naru planned on doing: He was planning on John performing an exorcism on me…and I didn't want him to._"_

_Wait…don't want him to? Of course I would want him to do an exorcism if it meant getting a spirit out of me!" _My mind was fighting against me for some reason.

"John," Naru simply said, and John nodded in understanding before walking up to me. I clenched my fists hard, glaring daggers at him.

"_Why am I so angry? John's only trying to help me!" _I thought in my mind.

John proceeded in reciting the prayer he always does, spraying droplets of holy water in my direction. It hurt when one of the droplets happened to hit my skin.

"_Why does this hurt so much? It's just water!" _I thought to myself. John continued on. I could feel the rage inside of me burning up.

"…and the power, and glory forever, Am-" John didn't get to finish his sentence before I sent him spiraling backwards.

"You will not interfere!" I said, but not in my voice. The spirit inside me was finally in control.

"Who are you!" Monk yelled. "Why are you torturing this family?"

I glared hard at him before twisting my lips into a sinister smile.

"Because…_he_ tortured me _way _more than this family could ever experience. This is mere child's play compared to what I've been through. No matter. This girl will see that in due time," the spirit inside me sneered. Then, as quickly as she came, she left my body. I dropped to my hands and knees.

Lin was the first one to my side. I looked up at him for the first time since being possessed.

"What…happened?" I asked quietly. He smiled with relief and helped me back up. Everyone else crowded around us and explained what had been said.

"I think it's best you don't be alone anymore while in this house, Mai," Naru suggested. Everyone was shocked to see him being so sentimental, but said nothing. I nodded and turned to go back inside, everyone else in tow.

I resorted to the couch again, not wanting to go anywhere from base unless absolutely necessary. Sleep came quite fast that night, reasons being quite obvious at the time.

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><p>The next morning, I awoke even before Lin. He was asleep in the desk chair, his head lolled to the side. I smiled and got up off the couch silently. I walked over to my shoulder bag and pulled out another pair of clothes and slipped off to the bathroom that was conveniently placed next to base.<p>

When I emerged a few minutes later, I was dressed in a blue tank-top, fishnet gloves, black jeans and my black timberline boots. My hair I had pulled back once more in a high pony-tail, this time pulling everything back instead of leaving my fringe out like I normally would.

I didn't want to spend much time in that mansion, so I reached in my bag, pulled out a book and my sketch pad, and went outside.

When I got outside, I had noticed there was a cherry blossom tree and decided to climb up in it and sit on a branch and do a little bit of reading. Luckily, the branch was quite sturdy, so I wasn't risking the chance of breaking any branches off this fine tree.

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><p>I had just finished sketching a scene of the garden outside.<p>

"Hey," I heard someone call. I looked down and noticed Lin looking up at me with a skeptical expression. "Don't you think you've had enough of trees?" He asked sarcastically.

"I can't seem to get away from the outdoors," I said with a slight chuckle. I closed my sketch pad and hopped down with ease. Lin looked at me questionably before I smiled and said,

"I don't understand it either, but somehow my ankle is fully healed," I said with a smirk. He smiled back at me upon hearing this. I looked up at the cherry blossom tree. "It's beautiful," I said.

"Yes, it is," he replied. I looked back at him and noticed he wasn't looking at the tree when he said this. He was looking at..._me!_ I could feel my face heating up. Oh boy…am I blushing?

"Um…So…" I fumbled over my words like an idiot. Then, I thought of something. "Would you like to have a seat underneath the tree with me? I was going to try and get a sketch from below it," I suggested. He chuckled slightly and nodded. We both sat down underneath the tree on the fallen petals, me trying to concentrate on the scene above us…failing miserably as I kept getting distracted by the man next to me.

I happened to glance back over at Lin who was still staring at me, a smile never leaving his lips. I quickly turned my attention to my sketch pad once more. I heard him chuckle once more.

"Mai," I heard him say softly. I looked over at him slowly to see that he had closed the gap between us, and was now extremely close to my face, which was probably redder than blood right now. He placed one hand under my chin and tilted it up, his other arm wrapped around my shoulders (When did he do that?). Suddenly, not being able to hold it in any longer, I lifted myself up to him and our lips collided, sharing a passionate kiss. It held for a few seconds before we broke the contact for a moment.

Not being able to help himself, Lin pulled me closer for a more passionate kiss. Pretty soon, I was sitting up, my knees on either side of him so that I was straddling him. As our lips never parted, I could feel his tongue feeling for an entryway, and I gladly invited him in, our tongues now in battle with each other.

This went on for what seemed like hours. Finally, we pulled apart for air. I rested my forehead on his as we both were breathing heavily from the contact. I shifted myself so that both my knees were on one side of him, still facing him.

"I love you, Lin Koujo," I said. He smiled.

"And, I love you, Mai," He replied. "I promise, that no matter what, I will always be by your side."

We shared one last soft kiss before enjoying the rest of the morning underneath that beautiful cherry blossom tree.

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><p><em><strong>Well, there ya have it! Yay fluffiness! (=^.^=) Hope you liked. I know it was a bit cheesey and things kind of went by quickly, but I had a bit of fun writing this chapter!<strong>_

_**Mai: Well, that was unexpected**_

_**Chii: How so?**_

_**Mai: Nevermind… Rate, Review, Comment, and Criticize.**_

_**Chii: See you next chapter! Ciao! ^_^**_


	5. Spiritual Barrier

_**Hey everyone! Thanks for all the reviews! Glad you enjoyed the story so far! I'm having a lot of fun writing this. Hope you're having just as much fun reading it! Here's the next chappy! Enjoy!**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt in any way, shape, or form.**_

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><p>When Lin and I came back inside, Naru had awoken and was already busy formulating a plan for exorcizing the woman who had possessed myself the night before. Everyone else was slowly filing in one-by-one. When everyone was sitting in base and I had made tea for them all, Naru had sent us all off again to investigate the house once more. I had requested to go off and do my own investigation. Naru wouldn't hear of it.<p>

"Mai," he started. "We can't afford anymore setbacks. I don't want to have to send Monk or John to help you once more."

I glared at him hard. It's true that I didn't give him much reason to trust me, but I had to find out if that room from my dream was definitely in this house.

"Naru, please," I said. "There's something I need to look into."

He was about to object when he noticed my determination. He was defeated, and he knew it. He sighed heavily.

"Fine," He said. "But, any sign of danger, you come right back here."

I nodded, grabbed my bag, and went off to find that room. My thoughts drifted back to Naru. He was worried. He wouldn't admit it, but it was the truth. Lin was the same. When I had requested to go off on my own, I could see his uneasiness. I clenched my fists hard, ready for anything that might come my way.

I was just about to head upstairs when something caught my eye. The twins were sitting on the banister staring at me. It made me a bit uncomfortable to say the least, but I continued on.

"You're very brave, miss," the one stated.

"If you're looking for the little door," the other started.

"It's in our room," they finished in unison. I stared uneasily at them both before continuing upstairs.

"Thanks," I said quietly.

"Also," the said. I looked at them.

"Please."

"Be careful."

They both had a bit of fear in their voices, so I gave them a look of confidence before continuing.

I passed the twins on the banister and continued down the hallway to said room. When I reached the door, I took a deep breath and reached for the handle slowly.

When I opened the door, I could smell the faint scent of blood. It made my stomach churn, but I kept my composure. I looked back and decided to shut the door so no one else could interfere. I did so and walked back to the center of the room. I took a deep breath and sat down in the center of the room.

First, I cleared my mind of everything and focused all my energy in this particular room. Then, I traced the room for any spiritual energy. When I was sure I had found the source, it came apparent that this was indeed the room from my dream. I had located the door at this point.

I took one more breath and opened my eyes. The door had be come visible and the spiritual barrier had been removed. I smiled slightly with confidence and turned to leave. When I reached the door, I looked back to make sure the door was still visible. When I had confirmed its existence once again, I opened the door, exited quickly, and shut the door behind me.

"Now," I said out loud. "Time to finish this. It will all end tonight," My powers had grown extensively over the past 2 years. I had been able to meditate and find spiritual barriers and gateways for quite some time now, only just perfecting the technique this year.

I had just reached the top of the staircase.

"Yes," a voice sneered. "It _will_!" I was suddenly pushed forward down the stairs. As I was decending, that song, once again, was being sung. It was the voice of a child.

As I got to the bottom, I caught myself at the last minute, snagging myself on the banister. I looked up at the top of the stairs and saw a little girl standing there watching me. She looked disappointed when I didn't get injured.

"Awwww…" she whined. "That's no fun. What should we do with her now, mommy?" Suddenly, there was another spirit; a woman.

"Don't worry, Yuki," she said with a malicious tone. "We'll be seeing her quite soon." She finished with a chuckle before completely disappearing. I glared at the spots where they had just been standing before getting up and heading for base, keeping this incident to myself.

When I reached base, I heard voices inside so I assumed that everyone was discussing their next move. I opened the door and let myself in.

"Hey, Mai," someone said. "Long time, no see." I looked over to see Yasu smiling ear-to-ear at me. I brightened up when I saw him.

"I decided to call him in to gather more information on this house," Naru said. "In fact, he was just getting ready to give us more details on this house's history." Yasu nodded.

"While there is no records after the 18th century due to no families living in this house until now, there are many interesting facts before that of which you will be very interested in hearing," Yasu said. He reached into his backpack and pulled out a giant stack of papers.

"As you already know, this house was built in the 16th century. Exceedingly long time for a house to still be standing, don't you think; and in such good condition. It seems as though each family would rebuild and refurnish the mansion when they moved into it. Apparently, the last family did most of the changes in the house, including adding on another bedroom to the house upstairs. However, that family was a family of great misfortune. It may just answer some of our problems."

"How so?" Naru asked.

"In the late 18th century, a family of 3 moved into this mansion; a woman, her husband, and her daughter. They were a practical family, and didn't think much of curses. But, one night, the husband got drunk and ended up stumbling to a fortuneteller's building in a nearby alleyway. The fortuneteller was obviously just a haggard old woman who enjoyed fooling people into telling their 'fortunes.' Anyway, the husband was told that a plague was set upon him and his family if he didn't torture and kill his wife and beloved daughter. Being a superstitious man, he believed the old woman, and went home to do so."

"That's horrible!" Ayako exclaimed. "He murdered his family?"

"That's right. But, here's the weird part. The police did an extensive search on the house, but found no traces of the bodies. The man went into hiding after he had committed the crime, and was never heard from again." Yasu finished.

"Alright," Naru started. "I think we all know what we need to do. We'll spread out and search the entire mansion from top to bottom, searching for the missing bodies. We'll regroup later and reveal what we-"

"I already know where they are," I interrupted him. Everyone turned to me, shocked at what I had just said.

"Mai?" A couple of them said.

"If you'll all follow me, I have something I wish to show you," I stated. Confidently, I led them upstairs to the twins bedroom.

"But, we've already checked this area, Mai," Monk said. "There was nothing in here."

"What was in here was a spiritual barrier. It was put up to keep spirits locked inside. I dispelled it so that it has become visible," I explained. I opened the door slowly, the scent of blood becoming quite apparent quickly. Everyone gasped, including myself, at the scene before us.

There was blood and bodies everywhere. I was the first to step inside, confident in what I was doing. I walked among the bodies and blood to the far wall in the room. Everyone else followed me slowly, making sure not to step on any bodies on the way over. I pointed to the door.

"There's your spiritual barrier. Inside it is the woman and child," I said.

"You found this all out on your own?" I heard Lin ask. I looked to him and nodded slowly.

"How?" Naru asked. I could tell he was a bit skeptical, but chose to believe me anyway.

"My powers have rapidly been growing. I'm able to dispell barriers and gates now, and can locate them through meditation. That is how I found this door. I believe the man had tortured his wife and child to the point of extreme pain and agony that they would eventually die from it, but stowed them inside this small space to let them die a slow, painful death. I believe that is where the song comes from." I said all this as tears were quickly flowing freely from my eyes in sorrow.

Suddenly, something happened that made everybody's bodies go cold. The dead bodies on the floor suddenly stood up and were walking around. I stared disbelievingly at all of them and held my ground.

"Mai! Be careful!" I heard Monk yell. However, it was a little too late for that. One of the bodies had taken a swing at me and hit me square in the face. I flew backwards into the wall, blood dripping from my now bruised lip.

"Mai! Run!" I heard Lin shout above other noises of grunts and chants of the others. I didn't want to be the weak one anymore, so I stood up quickly and recited the warding spells that Monk had taught me those few years ago. I resorted to the nine cuts afterward and took out a few of the bodies.

"Insolent child!" A voice broke out over all the noise in the room. Everyone, even the dead bodies had stopped moving and were practically frozen solid.

"Mommy, do the bad kids have to be punished now?" a small child asked.

"Why, of course not, Yuki. Just the bad girl over there," the woman answered. I knew who she was talking about immediately.

"Oh! Ok!" The little girl said pleasantly.

Behind me, the little door to the small compartment opened quickly, revealing two rotting corpses. I threw my hands to my mouth in disgust.

"_Take a key and lock her up,  
><em>_Lock her up,  
><em>_Lock her up,  
><em>_Take a key and lock her up,  
><em>_My fair lady…" _The woman and child were singing that song over and over again.

Suddenly, a pair of hands reached out and grabbed hold of me and started pulling me into the small space.

"HELP!" I screamed. No matter what I did, I couldn't break free, and I was being dragged closer and closer to that horrible place.

"MAI!" I heard someone yell. But, it was too late for me to see who it was, as I was dragged helplessly into the dark abyss.

After that, everything went black.

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><p><em><strong>Alright. Sorry y'all for the short chapter. I wanted to wrap this up as quickly as possible. I believe the next chapter should be the last. Hope you enjoyed it so far!<strong>_

_**Mai: What happened to me!**_

_**Chii: Can't tell youuuuu!**_

_**Mai: Hmph… Rate, Review, Comment, and Criticize, please!**_

_**Chii: See you next (probably the last) chapter! Ciao! ^_^**_


	6. Courage

_**Hey! Sooooooooo sorry that it took me forever to update. I went into an EXTREME writer's block and didn't really have any good motivation to continue this story. Motivation doesn't come easily, you know! But, enough about me. On to the story!**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not, I repeat, do NOT own Ghost Hunt…unfortunately.**_

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><p><em>Nothing. Only darkness. I opened my eyes for the first time since being knocked out, but it didn't do anything, really. It was as if my eyes were still closed. I felt that I would go insane if I didn't move, so I decided to just wander in a random direction.<em>

_I thought about everything that has transpired in the last few days. The song. The family of spirits. The corpses laying in the bedroom. It all made sense now. Not only did the Father kill his family; he killed other people in an attempt to cover up his crime from any witnesses that might have seen what he had done. He stored them all away in this house, along with his wife and only daughter._

_Pain._

_Sorrow._

_Blood._

_Murder._

_I continued walking. The darkness was becoming part of me now. I felt as if I could spend days in here and not feel anything. Is this what it's like to be a spirit; traveling around in limbo for so long? Never to see the true light of day?_

_I didn't want to stay around to find out. I decided to actually search for a way out._

_I strained my eyes to the point of exhaustion, but could find no traces of an exit. I was beginning to think that I would never get out of the darkness. The feeling of being confident all this time was slowly disappearing._

_Then, out of nowhere, a bright light flooded my vision. I had to shield my eyes for a moment or two before the scene came into view._

_I was standing in the middle of a school yard with a bunch of elementary students running around playing games. I smiled lightly as a familiar, yet less menacing, child came into view: Yuki._

"_Yuki-san!" I heard a small voice yell. "Want to come over today to play?" A little girl came running up to the child in question._

"_Sorry, Maki-san," Yuki replied with a sad smile. "I have to get home. Daddy wants me home right away today because he said that he has a surprise for me. Maybe tomorrow, 'kay?" She finished with a bright smile which made the other girl smile as well._

_"Okay! See you tomorrow then!" She replied happily, and ran off. Yuki waved at her friend before turning and running down the sidewalk._

_There was another bright light, as I was propelled into another scene. I was in front of the mansion now. I heard a few sounds of dishes breaking and shouts coming from inside, so I ran in the direction of the sounds to find the mother and father in the kitchen._

"_Get on the floor! Do it, NOW!" I heard the father shout. He was holding a large knife above his head as if he was prepared to strike at any time._

"_Please, Saito! Yuki will be home soon!" The woman tried to reason with the man. He wouldn't hear of it._

"_Shut up! She will be sent straight to her room if she interferes…and severely punished afterwards," the man replied._

_Just then, the door to the front of the mansion opened slowly as Yuki came bouncing in._

"_Mommy! Daddy! I'm home!" She yelled. She came bounding into the kitchen and stopped dead in her tracks. "Daddy? Why is mommy on the floor?"_

_"Go to your room, Yuki!" Saito yelled. He glared hard at the child._

_"But, daddy? Why are you holding a knife like that?" Her voice was becoming soft and shaky._

"_I said GO!" Saito yelled, this time louder. He grabbed a plate and flung it at the child, catching her in the side of the head._

_Yuki let out a short scream in pain as she ran back out of the kitchen and up the stairs._

"_Now, because your daughter was too stupid to leave when I said so, she will pay later. But, for now, you must have your punishments," Saito said with a malicious sneer._

_I watched in fear of the series of beatings this man gave his wife. He was malicious, that was for sure. But I believe his superstitions got the best of him and were driving him mad. He beat this woman, cut her multiple times with the knife, and showed no mercy._

_Finally, when he was finished, he stared out the doorway into the stairwell and I had assumed he was off to see Yuki. I followed behind, preparing myself for what he had in store for little Yuki._

_He ran up the stairs and stopped in front of Yuki's door. He placed his ear up to the door and listened attentively. I did the same._

"_From my distress I called upon the Lord; the Lord answered me and set me in a large place. The Lord is for me; I will not fear; what can man do to me? The Lord is for me among those who help me; therefore I shall look with satisfaction on those who hate me." Yuki's prayer could be heard clearly on the other side of the door._

_This seemed to enrage the man even more as he started to break the door down. When he did, Yuki was standing in the center of the room holding a bible and a cross, staring confidently at the man in the doorway._

_"Behold, all those who are angered at you will be shamed and dishonored; those who contend with you will be as nothing and will perish. You will seek those who quarrel with you, but will not find them, those who war with you will be as nothing, and non-existent. For I am the Lord your God, who upholds your right hand, who says to you, do not fear, I will help you." Yuki continued reciting prayers._

_"Child, you will regret this very day for refusing to act upon your father's will," Saito said through his teeth._

_"And I am God. Even from eternity I am He; and there is none who can deliver out of My hand; I act and who can reverse it?" Yuki continued. She seemed to be getting louder now._

_Saito had just about enough of her prayers and decided to advance towards her. As he was doing so, Yuki began shouting,_

_"Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered; and let those who hate him flee before him. As smoke is driven away, so drive them away; as wax melts before the fire!"_

_She repeated this as best as she could as Saito began beating her long and hard. She never stopped reciting that prayer, however. She just kept repeating it over and over._

_Finally, Saito had knocked the poor child out with one final blow to her head with his foot. Then, everything was silent. Nothing but the deranged man's breathing could be heard._

_I stood in anger and fear of what was to happen next._

_Then, Saito ran back downstairs. For a while, there was no sound. But then, there was the sound of struggling and shouting. It sounded like he was after the wife again. Then, I could see him dragging her up the stairs by her hair, her arms flailing about trying to break loose._

_"Quiet! You've both gone too far!" Saito shouted._

_He dragged the struggling woman into the room and started beating on her again. She was so covered in blood, it looked as if she had a red cloak draped over her. I turned away multiple times, but forced myself to look back when I needed to._

_After a series of beatings on both the bodies, Saito decided to lock them away in the small door in the wall. As he was doing so, he started humming._

_Oh, that infuriating humming. It was THAT song again. He sang it over and over again until he had the bodies locked away in the small space._

_After he was done, he looked directly at my direction. I flinched as I felt myself being pulled away from the scene. I left the force pull me away, for I had seen enough. Then, everything went black once again._

* * *

><p><em>I was greeted by two small lights ahead of me. I strained to see what it was, and saw who it was immediately.<em>

"_Mommy! Look, there she is!" I heard little Yuki yell. I raised my hands, ready to perform the Nine Cuts, before the woman raised her hand in opposition._

"_Please, we mean you no harm. I promise," she said softly. I lowered my hands at the sound of her voice._

_"Now you see what we had to go through. I couldn't go on much longer without showing anyone. But, as you probably could have guessed, we never really wanted to hurt anyone. It's all Saito's doing. He is the one doing all of this," she explained._

"_Daddy is a mean man who needs to go away for a long time," Yuki pitched in._

_I looked at the both of them before seeing another light in the distance. I heard Yuki gasp and run behind me. I stared hard at the figure and realized who it was. It was Saito._

"_You're both being menacing little pests again," he said with a malicious tone. "Yuki, come here," he stayed close behind me and didn't move at all. Saito got furious right away at this._

_"I SAID COME HERE!" he shouted, and sent me spiraling off to the side. I landed hard and felt something snap: my wrist. I gripped it gently, trying to hide my pain. I got up and noticed Yuki standing in his grasp._

"_Saito! You must leave this place! You do not belong here!" I shouted towards him. He glared at me._

_"Quiet, you!" he shouted, before sending a series of whirlwind sickles towards me. I winced in pain, but held my ground. Yuki was whimpering silently in fear._

"_Saito, please! Leave these poor people alone, you've done enough!" the woman tried to protest, but only received a forceful shove backwards, sending her flying back onto her backside. His gaze never left mine._

_We spent quite a while, staring at each other; neither of us flinching. Then, I decided to take my chance. I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths._

"_It is time for you to leave this place, Saito," I said out loud calmly. " Pater noster, qui es in caelis, sanctifecetuor, nomen regnum tum. Fiat voluntas, et in terra, panem nostrum, cotidianum. Da nobis hodie, et dimite nostra. Sicut et nos, dimmitimus, debitoribus, nostris. Et ne nos in ducas, en tentatsionum. Sec libera, nos, amalo. Amen."_

_Saito looked like he was frozen where he stood. His grip loosened on Yuki and she ran towards her mother. He stared upwards before slowly disintegrating into nothing._

"_He's…He's gone…" the woman said out loud. I could see tears forming in her eyes. I was about to console her when I saw a smile form on her lips. She turned to me and smiled widely._

_"Thank you so much, Mai Taniyama," she said. "We will never forget you."_

_"Thanks, Mai Onee-san!" Yuki said cheerfully as she ran up to me, giving me a huge hug before running back with her mother._

_I smiled, tears welling up in my eyes as their figures slowly started disappearing from view. When they were gone, I wiped my eyes clean and allowed sleep to take me over._

* * *

><p>When I opened my eyes, I could hear loud banging, but could see nothing. I tried to move around, but noticed that I was in a small space. Then I remembered; I was dragged into the small space in the wall.<p>

"Quit your banging. There's a handle in here to open the door!" I yelled out at them. They stopped the banging and I felt around for a handle. My wrist still hurt, so I was sure it was deffinately fractured. I hadn't realized it before, but it was excessively hard to breathe, and I was starting to feel around frantically for the handle, when I found it and turned it harshly.

I practically fell out of the small crawl space and sprawled out onto the floor. I was immediately surrounded by everyone who frantically tried to embrace me. I forced my way out of the crowd of my friends and made my way into the middle of the room.

"Just, give me some air, please!" I said harshly. I was still having a hard time breathing. They all looked at me with solemn expressions. I stood up straight before turning and slowly walking to the door. Without turning around, I said quietly,

"It's done. I think it would be best to inform the owner of the house and pack up right away." With that, I walked out the door and went downstairs to base to start packing some things up, everyone else eventually following me.

Later, after everything was packed up, the owner to the house came home. She was delighted to see that everything was back to normal. She thanked us kindly and offered us some tea before we left. Everyone graciously accepted; everyone but me. I politely turned her down and asked if I could sit in the garden for a while. She gladly let me do so, and I walked out.

I was sitting underneath the cherry blossom tree where I usually sat, thinking about the past events. Suddenly, I heard footsteps approach me from in front. I looked up to see Lin smiling softly down at me.

"You're a hero, Mai," he said softly. I looked down upon hearing this.

"I don't feel like one…" I replied. He frowned and sat down next to me, taking my hand in 's when it hit me like a huge blow to the head. Tears poured down my face as I buried it into Lin's shirt, sobbing loudly. He only placed a comforting hand on my back and rocked me back and forth.

"It was terrible, Lin! I've never seen such a horrible and deranged scene in my life! I didn't know what to feel! I was trying to be confident in everything that I did, but it didn't seem to amount to much anyway! I was so scared, I thought I was going to die right when he looked directly at me! I'm still a coward!" I sobbed loudly. Lin placed both his hands on my shoulders to lift me up so that I was facing him.

"Mai, even the bravest of people get scared sometimes. Being scared of something truly terrifying is nothing to be ashamed of. You were amazingly brave to even take on such a huge task by yourself. And, for that, we admire you. You are an amazing woman, Mai. And you will never be a coward," Lin opposed. He smiled down at me before embracing me once more. I just leaned into his embrace, not wanting to leave.

I knew I was definitely safe in his arms.

* * *

><p>A few days later, after a well-deserved break off of work, I was happily back in the office filing paperwork once again. My wrist had healed in a few days and was fully-functional again.<p>

I had just gotten up to make Naru his regular 1:00 tea, when I heard the back office door open. I glanced back the hallway to find Lin exiting his office. He hadn't seen me yet, so I decided to slip off to the kitchen.

I got to the kitchen and began preparing the tea. I was just about to put the tea leaves into three tea cups when a soft voice startled me.

"You know, you really need to work on your sneaking skills," Lin said from behind me. I jumped so hard, the tea leaves almost flew out of the container.

"Lin! You almost made me drop the container!" I yelled back at him, spinning around on my heel to face him. He only chuckled.

"Wouldn't be the first time," he retorted with a smirk.

I scoffed as I whipped around on my heel again to finish preparing the tea.

Suddenly, a pair of arms slinked their way around my waist from behind which sent shivers up my spine.

"L-Lin…" I stuttered. "I have to get Naru's tea ready…" I trailed off as he started running kisses up and down my neck. I let a tiny little gasp out as he reached the crook in my neck, which made him chuckle.

"Ya know, I love it when you do that," he said softly. I smiled at this and turned around slowly.

"I know," I replied with a smile.

Then, he lifted me and pulled me up onto the counter. Our lips collided softly for a long, passionate kiss, that would last me a lifetime. He ran his hands up and down my thighs as he deepened the kiss.

There was a stifled cough coming from the doorway and we separated immediately, our faces redder than a tomato.

"Mai, if you're going to do any sexual activities with my assistant, please proceed at either your house or a hotel. Not my place of business. And, you're late with my tea," Naru barked. I quickly jumped down from the counter and continued making that dreaded tea as Naru left for his office.

"Great, now I'm in trouble, Lin!" I quietly scolded Lin.

"Oh, you don't need me to help you get into trouble," he retorted. I playfully smacked him on the arm as I finished up the tea and delivered it to Naru.

When I came back, I gave Lin his tea, took my own, and we both sat together on the couch in the meeting room. We finished our tea, cuddled up together, and fell asleep for a well-deserved rest.

I'll always be by your side, and you by mine. I'll never feel like I'm never safe again.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Whew! So sorry this is the last chapter, but I needed to wrap things up because Writer's Blocks can be a real pain. So, I hope you enjoyed the last chapter! Thanks for reading! R&amp;R Comment, and Criticize! Ciao! ^_^<strong>_


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